If this story is true, it’s a good example of the need for Christianity around the world. Africans in the Congo and Rwanda are fighting over control of a mineral used to make certain electric capacitors which are used in Sony Playstations. Children are reportedly being sent into the mines to collect a mineral that has increased in price 500% due in part to demand for Playstations. It is just as unacceptable for the miners to abuse themselves and their progeny for this as it is for Sony to refuse responsibility for helping to create the situation. Everyone must do what he can reasonably do to love his neighbor as he would himself. Though Sony is the big name in this story, everyone in the market handling this product is responsible to understand what’s going on to the best of his ability. But I’m not telling you anything new.
I always struggle with issues such as these. I know corporations too often hide behind the free market when they’re just being irresponsible. But, honestly, Africa’s major problem is that it has no rule of law. Everything is fought over because governments can’t create order or enforce contracts. And this includes nations where much of the populace is nominally Christian. Zimbabwe, anyone?
A long-winded response to say, yes, you’re right, I suppose. Love isn’t in evidence here at all.
No, you’re not being long-winded. This is a good point. The issue here is not simple.
Would it be acceptable for Christians in Sony’s situation to draw the line on their culpability somewhere? Perhaps they would say that they can’t strong arm Africans to do anything, but they can urge their suppliers to find honest sources, putting the moral responsibility on them.
Yes, I suppose that would be just, even if it resulted in higher prices. I support free markets, but there has to be a point where you just won’t do business with someone.
Yes, that’s part of the free market, as I see it. We should feel free to buy for whatever motives we have, though we can argue about the morality of our motives. The lowest prices is not the only factor for purchasing a product or service. For services, we often work with people because we trust them or have relationships with them which cannot be accounted for in service cost.
The problem is that this abuse is part of a much larger pattern. Imagine these deposits were to become useless, would the criminals who currently control the mines:
1. Release the POWs and child captives they have.
2. Put them to whatever profitable use they can find.
3. Kill them, to avoid competition for resources, retribution, etc.
The market may be able to pressure them to treat their slaves slightly better. But to get slave owners to free their slaves you usually need violence or the threat thereof. Sadly, the British Empire is nowhere to be found. We Americans, for all the leftist accusations of Imperialism, just aren’t interested in the job.
Very good points, Ori.
Thank you. I wish I could have written something most optimistic. But some evils have to be fought with violence.
BTW, a good place to discuss Africa is Dave Freer’s blog, http://davefreer.livejournal.com/. He’s South African, and he hates what the kleptocrats are doing to his part of the world.
Kleptocrats — what a stupendous word.